Multiple completions of wells



NORMAN NELSON,

l ATTORNEY.

Ru PIT, V .I. W l g y F M ll 9 mm 2 3 5 7 H B 5 2 P p 2.: z. e w fil F 4 9 mm May 26, 1964 MULTIPLE COMPLETIONS OF WELLS United States Patent 3,134,440 MULTIPLE COMPLETIONS 0F WELLS Norman A. Nelson, South Houston, Tex, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Jersey Production Research Company, Tulsa, Okla, a corporation of Delaware Fiied May 24, 1961, Ser. No. 112,444 3 Claims (Ql. 166-114) This invention relates generally to the completion of a plurality of hydrocarbon productive earth strata penetrated by a well bore, and more particularly to apparatus for forming a bridge plug or closure and for permitting production from productive earth formations above and below the plug.

After a hydrocarbon productive earth formation has been produced for a more or less extended period of time, on occasion it becomes desirable to produce earth fluids from a productive earth formation lower than the formation originally produced. In order to conform with the regulations of governmental regulatory agencies, it is necessary to separate the fluid streams from the two productive earth formations. It has been customary in the past to produce one of two formations through the bore of a tubing string and to produce the other formation through the tubing-casing annulus. Manifestly, it is undesirable to bring heavy, expensive tubing manipulating apparatus to a wellhead to lower the tubing string to the level of a lower productive earth formation in order to produce the lower formation through the tube-casing annulus.

Recently, there has become available apparatus for forming drillable bridge plugs that may be run through tubing strings on a wire line. Such bridge plugs make use of a rather fragile radially-expansible cement support device that may be expanded to the interior of a casing string after having been run out of the lower end of a tubing string. When the bridge plug is set at the desired location in the casing string, a quantity of a fluid cementitious mixture is dumped on top of the support device and allowed to set. Usually, a quantity of pea gravel or marbles is dumped ahead of the cement to provide a suitable base for the fluid cementitious mixture. Through tubing bridge plugs are described in some detail in an article entitled How Through-Tubing Bridge Plugs Work, by Robert W. Scott, at page 141 of the October 1959 issue of the periodical World Oil. In certain respects, the present invention is similar to bridge plugsetting apparatus of this nature.

In accordance with the teachings of the present inven tion, apparatus is provided for forming a bridge plug including an elongated tubular mandrel having a fishing head and retractable landing means (such as landing dogs) at the upper end thereof. An elongated, tubular mandrel extension member is afiixed to the lower end of the tubular mandrel by quick-releasable connecting means. The mandrel preferably is provided with a plug at the lower end thereof. Radially-expansible means afixed to the mandrel extension is adapted to fold toward the mandrel extension so as to pass through a tubing string, to expand and close the bore of casing enclosing the tubing string, and to support cementitious mixture thereabove. A plurality of openings in the mandrel near the lower end thereof is provided so that solid and fluid materials may pass therethrough. When the apparatus is landed in a landing nipple at the lower end of a tubing string, suitable solid and fluid materials such as pea gravel and cementitious mixtures may be passed therethrough and out the openings onto the radialiy-expansible means. By providing a circulating valve in the tubing string below the landing nipple, fluid may be circulated down the tubingcasing annulus and up the tubing bore to remove excess cementitious material. After the cementitious mixture is set, the mandrel may be detached from the mandrel extension and removed from the tubing bore, and another tubular member having an open bore may be landed on the landing nipple and inserted in the bore of the mandrel extension. Earth formation fluids from the lower productive earth formation then may be produced through the tubing bore while earth formation fluids from the upper productive formation may be produced through the circulating valve and the tubing-casing annulus.

Objects and features of the invention not apparent from the above discussion will become evident upon consideration of the following description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are simplified elevational views of a portion of a well installation illustrating steps involved in the utilization of the invention. The apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is partially broken away and in cross section to more perspicuously illustrate constructional details of the apparatus.

With reference now to FIG. 1, there is shown a casing string 1 which is assumed to have been cemented to the sides of a well bore in the usual manner, and perforated to form perforations 27 and 41 therein which respectively provide fluid communication between an upper hydro carbon productive zone 25 and the bore of easing 1, and a lower hydrocarbon productive zone 39 and the bore of easing 1. The usual flow tubing string 3 is provided which may be suspended in the well bore by suitable hanger means (not shown) at the earths surface. The tubing string as illustrated is set up for permanent type well completion operations in that it is provided with a landing nipple 9 and a sliding sleeve circulating valve comprising a nipple 13, a sliding sleeve 19, a port 17 in the sleeve, and a port 15 in the nipple 13. The sliding sleeve circulating valve is shown schematically in the drawing and may be any of a number of commercially available devices such as that illustrated at page 1976 of the Composite Catalog of Oil Field Equipment and Services, 22nd edition (1957). The lower end of tubing string 3 is provided with a packer 21 connected to the tubing string below the sliding sleeve circulating valve for the purpose of packing oi the tubing-casing annulus.

With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown landed in the landing nipple 9 an apparatus comprising an elongated tubular mandrel 23 having a fishing or retracting head 5 at the upper end thereof and retractable dogs '7 of conventional design immediately below the fishing head 5. An annular packer 11 is connected to the mmdrel below the landing dogs 7 to pack off between the mandrel and the tubing at a point intermediate landing nipple 9 and circulating valve nipple 13. As is shown most perspicuously in FIG. 2, the mandrel is provided near the lower end thereof with a plurality of openings or ports 29. immediately below the openings 29 is a plug 28 which preferably is of a resilient material such as rubber and which forms an integral part of the mandrel 23. The upper end of plug 28 is conical to best defleet downwardly travelling fluid and solid materials through openings 29. A tubular mandrel extension member 38 is affixed to the mandrel 23 by a quick-detachable means such as shear pins 31 which may extend through mandrel extension 38 into the mandrel 23 and the plug 23. Afflxed to the mandrel extension 38 is radially-expansible means which may be any of the cement supporting devices described in the article by Robert W. Scott supra, and which is illustrated as being a plurality of individual metal petals which progressively flare to normally form together a conical structure. The metal petals overlap circularly about the axis of tubular extension member 33 and are capable of moving to positions of progressively increasing overlap to allow the petals to be collapsed or contracted so as to readily pass through the tubing string 3. The lower ends of the petals are secured together by an annular ring 37 which is fastened to mandrel extension 38 by apparatus not shown. Details of construction of the metal petals and ring arrangement may be as illustrated in .U.S. Patent No. 2,969,839

Greene. a

The operation of the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is as follows. The mandrel '23 and mandrel extension 38 and associated apparatus are lowered through the tubing string 3 at the end of a wire line (not shown) in the usual manner. When the dogs 7 are landed in landing nipple 9, the Wire line is released and withdrawn from the. tubing string. A quantity of marbles or pea gravel 33. is dumped through the tubing string and the mandrel 23 so as to be deflected by plug 28 through openings .29. The pea gravel thus is deposited on the metal petals 35 as illustrated. A quantity of cement 22 is injected into the tubing. string 3 and mandrel 23 so as to be deposited on top of the marbles or pea gravel 33 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The sliding sleeve circulating valve 19 has been previously opened before the mandrel 23 is lowered into the tubing string 3. A clean fluid, such as water, is then pumped down the tubing-casing annulus and through the; ports and 17 of the circulating valve so as to wash excess cement in the mandrel-casing annulus above the level of the upper end of mandrel extension 38 into the mandrel bore and upv the tubing string. After an appropriate interval, circulation of the clean fluid is stopped and a wire line is again secured to fishing head '5, and the mandrel is jerked so as to shear the shear pins 31 to permit the mandrel and plug 28 to be Withdrawn from the tubing string. As is illustrated in PEG. 3, a tubular mandrel comprising telescoping open-bored tubular sections 16 and 24, fishing head 6, and locking dogs 8 is then lowered into the tubing string. The outer diameter of innermandrel member 24 is such as to permit it to be stabbed into tubular mandrel extension 38 and to pro videa smooth fit therewith. The reason that the members 24 and 16 are telescoping is to facilitate the landing of landing dogs 8 in landing nipple 9. The productive zones 25 and 39 may now be placed in production, with the upper zone 25 being produced through ports 15' and 17 of the circulating valve and up. the tubing-casing annulus. Lower zone 39 is produced through the bore of mandrel extension 38 and mandrel members 24 and 16 and the tubing 3.

The invention is not to be restricted to the specific structural details or arrangements of parts herein set forth, as various modifications thereof may be effected Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The nature and objects of the invention having been completely described, what Iwish to claim is:

1. Apparatus for use in a cased and tubed well, comprising:

an elongated tubular mandrel including a fishing head and retractable landing means at one end thereof, said landing means normally extending from said mandrel to land in a tubing landing nipple for supporting said mandrel therefrom; a tubular mandrel extension having a continuous bore therethrough from one end to the other end; a plug of resilient material afiixed to the opposite end of said mandrel from said one end, and extending into said mandrel extension;

shear pin means releasably connecting said plug and mandrel to said mandrel extension;

radially-expansible cement "supporting means affixed to said mandrel extension, adapted to pass through a tubing string; and

at least'one' opening in the wall of said mandrel near said opposite end thereof adapted to pass cementitious material for deposition on said cement supporting means; said mandrel extension being adapted to be engaged by a tubing extension at the upper end thereof to form a continuous passageway from the tubing to below said cement supporting means.

. Apparatus for use in a'cased well, comprising:

lower end thereof and valve means below the landing nipple adapted to permit fluid passage between the tubing string bore and the annulus around the tubing string;

an elongated tubular mandrel including a fishing head and retractable landing means at one end thereof, said landing means normally extending from said mandrel to land in a tubing landing nipple for supporting said mandrel therefrom;

a tubular mandrel extension having a continuous bore therethrough from one end to the other end;

closure means in said mandrel at the opposite end of said mandrel from said one end;

quick-releasable connecting means connecting together the mandrel and mandrel extension;

radially-expansible cement supporting means affixed to said mandrel extension, adapted to pass through a tubing string; and

at least one opening in the wall of said mandrel near said opposite end thereof adapted to pass cementitious material for deposition on said cement supporting means; said mandrel extensionbeing adapted to be engaged by a tubing extension at the upper end thereof to form a continuous passageway from said tubing string to below said cement supporting means. 3. Apparatus for use in a cased well, comprising:

tubing string including a landing nipple near the lower end thereof and valve means below the landing nipple adapted to permit fluid passage between the tubing string bore and the annulus around the tubing string; an elongated tubular mandrel including a fishing head and retractable landing means at one end thereof, said landing means normally extending from said mandrel to land in a tubing landing nipple for sup-- porting said mandrel therefrom;

a tubular mandrel extension having a continuous bore therethrough from one end to the other end;

a plug of resilient material affixed to the opposite end of said mandrel from said one end, and extending into said mandrel extension;

shear pin means releasably connecting said plug and mandrel to said mandrel extension;

radially-expansible cement supporting means afiixed to said mandrel extension, adapted to 'pass through'a References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,476,554 Swanson Dec. 4, 1923 2,652,118 Hartman et al. Sept. 15, 1953 2,942,666 True et al. June 28, 1960 2,978,029 OReilly et al. Apr. 4, 1961 3,011,549 Fredd et al. Dec. 5, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES Scott: How Through-Tubing Bridge Plugs Work,"

World Oil, October 1959, pp. 141 to 149.

tubing string including a landing nipple near the V 

1. APPARATUS FOR USE IN A CASED AND TUBED WELL, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED TUBULAR MANDREL INCLUDING A FISHING HEAD AND RETRACTABLE LANDING MEANS AT ONE END THEREOF, SAID LANDING MEANS NORMALLY EXTENDING FROM SAID MANDREL TO LAND IN A TUBING LANDING NIPPLE FOR SUPPORTING SAID MANDREL THEREFROM; A TUBULAR MANDREL EXTENSION HAVING A CONTINUOUS BORE THERETHROUGH FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER END; A PLUG OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AFFIXED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID MANDREL FROM SAID ONE END, AND EXTENDING INTO SAID MANDREL EXTENSION; SHEAR PIN MEANS RELEASABLY CONNECTING SAID PLUG AND MANDREL TO SAID MANDREL EXTENSION; RADIALLY-EXPANSIBLE CEMENT SUPPORTING MEANS AFFIXED TO SAID MANDREL EXTENSION, ADAPTED TO PASS THROUGH A TUBING STRING; AND AT LEAST ONE OPENING IN THE WALL OF SAID MANDREL NEAR SAID OPPOSITE END THEREOF ADAPTED TO PASS CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL FOR DEPOSITION ON SAID CEMENT SUPPORTING MEANS; SAID MANDREL EXTENSION BEING ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY A TUBING EXTENSION AT THE UPPER END THEREOF TO FORM A CONTINUOUS PASSAGEWAY FROM THE TUBING TO BELOW SAID CEMENT SUPPORTING MEANS. 